Max Meyer
Former Schalke 04 youngster has joined Crystal Palace as a free agent, following the expiry of his contract with the Bundesliga side earlier this summer. According to a previous report by Mail Online, the Eagles will pay Schalke 04 a fee in the region of £450,000 as compensation for Meyer’s training and development.
The report had also claimed that the Germany international will sign a four-year deal worth £170,000-a-week.
The box-to-box midfielder, who is capped four times, made 28 appearances for Schalke last season as they finished behind Bavarian giants Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
After a quiet start to the summer that saw only Vicente Guiata arrive from Getafe, Crystal Palace’s transfer business is alive and kicking following the capture of Cheikhou Kouyate from rivals West Ham United. And now, signing Meyer is certainly the cherry on top.
Versatile, tricky, agile and an excellent dribbler, Meyer has a keen eye for a pass. At 22 years, the Bundesliga export has his best years ahead of him. However, he will have to justify his high wage with fitting performances on the pitch. Crystal Palace are in dire need of strength in the middle of the park following a raft of exits this summer.
Meyer can play as a defensive midfielder, a winger, a wing-back and as a playmaker. He will be key in helping Luka Milivojevic, one of Palace’s outstanding players from last season, in the midfield. His presence will also help manager Roy Hodgson deploy the trio of Kouyate, Milivojevic and Meyer behind the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Andros Townsend and Christian Benteke in the attack.
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After Frank De Boer’s untimely exit last season, the Eagles almost fell prey to a relegation battle. Now, with an able manager in Hodgson, as well as a star performer like Meyer, Palace look extremely solid ahead of the new term. In fact, Meyer might be the man to lead The Eagles out of their annual relegation fights and into a top-10 finish.
Hence, signing him is certainly a coup. After all, Meyer is one of the most talented players across Europe and it will be interesting to see how he fares in a Palace jersey next season.
